Bihar On The Brink?

There are fears that the ruling party alliance in Bihar is about to break, what with both RJD and JD (U) taking intransigent stands.

Patna: The war of words within Bihar between Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal has turned bitter on Friday threatening the continuance of Mahagathbandhan, which is ruling this crisis-ridden state.

“Nitish is the leader of Mahagathbandhan, no one else. Those who are threatening of having 80 MLAs with them should not be in any kind of confusion. It will not take us even five minutes to quit (the) government (and) power,” JD (U) spokesman Ajay Alok told a news channel on Friday. He maintained that the image of Nitish Kumar was more important than power.

The threat comes within a day after senior RJD MLA Bhai Virendra asserted that since his party is the largest constituent in the alliance, its decision should be accepted by the other partners. RJD has already taken a stand that there is no question of Bihar Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav resigning over an FIR being lodged against him following charges of corruption.

Pointing out that (Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar) had a flawless track record, Ajay Alok warned RJD against putting the future of Mahagathbandhan into danger by making threatening statements. Instead, they should come out with answers on charges that were levelled against Tejashwi Yadav.

Asserting that power is not important for them, the JD (U) spokesman sought to point out that Tejashwi’s response over allegations of corruption has not satisfied anyone.

Meanwhile, anticipating the threat to Mahagathbandhan, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has called up both Nitish Kumar and RJC chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in an attempt to diffuse the situation. Senior Congress leaders have rushed in to broker peace within the two warring partners in the government. Congress is the third major party in the Bihar ruling coalition.

Importantly, the four-day ultimatum given by JD (U) to Tejashwi to come clean will expire on Saturday. Except for taking a political stand, Tejashwi has not come out yet with concrete rebuttal of the allegations levelled against him.

The next couple of days will be crucial in Bihar as, according to a source, Nitish has already decided to part ways with Lalu. The JD (U) leader is only biding his time before making the decision public.